Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device and method of operation that provides self-generated power. The device includes: a display portion including a plurality of pixels; a data driver applying a data signal to data lines connected to the plurality of pixels; a signal controller transmitting an image data signal for generation of the data signal to the data driver; a power supply generating a driving voltage for operation of the signal controller and the data driver; a thermoelectric generation portion generating electrical energy by using heat generated by at least one of the signal controller, the power supply, and the data driver; and a converter generating an auxiliary driving voltage that is the same as the driving voltage by using the electrical energy.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/826,020 filed Nov. 29, 2017, which claimspriority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0164547 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec.5, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated their referencesherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The inventive concept relates to a display device. More particularly,the present inventive concept relates to a display device that canself-generate power.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emittingdiode (LED) display, and the like include a plurality of pixels fordisplaying an image. The plurality of pixels are often arranged in amatrix format, and a plurality of gate lines extending in a rowdirection are connected to a plurality of data lines extending in acolumn direction. The pixels receive a gate signal applied through agate line and a data signal applied through a data line insynchronization with the gate signal.

Various methods have been suggested to reduce the power consumption ofsuch a display device. However, as display device technology continuesto develop, the panel size of the display device and resolution of thedisplay device has increased. Power consumption of such display devicestends to increase as panel size and/or resolution increases.Accordingly, a technique for reducing power consumption of the displaydevice is becoming increasingly urgent.

The above information disclosed in this section of the disclosure isonly for enhancement of understanding of the inventive concept andtherefore it may contain information that does not form the prior artthat is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill inthe art.

SUMMARY

The inventive concept provides a display device that may have reducedpower consumption.

A display device according to the inventive concept may include: adisplay portion including a plurality of pixels; a data driver applyinga data signal to data lines connected to the plurality of pixels; asignal controller transmitting an image data signal to the data driverto generate the data signal; a power supply generating a driving voltagefor operation of the signal controller and the data driver; athermoelectric generation portion (e.g. thermoelectric generator) thatgenerates electrical energy by using heat generated by at least one ofthe signal controller, the power supply, and the data driver; and aconverter generating an auxiliary driving voltage that is substantiallyequal to (e.g. about the same) the driving voltage by using theelectrical energy.

According to the inventive concept, the converter may convert a voltageof the electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generator toprovide the auxiliary driving voltage at a reduced level.

For example, the driving voltage may include a first driving voltage anda second driving voltage, the signal controller may be supplied withboth the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage, and thedata driver may be supplied with the second driving voltage.

The auxiliary driving voltage may include, for example, a firstauxiliary driving voltage and a second auxiliary driving voltage, thefirst auxiliary driving voltage may be supplied to the signal controlleras a voltage that is the same as the first driving voltage, and thesecond auxiliary driving voltage may be supplied to the signalcontroller and the data driver as a voltage that is the same as thesecond driving voltage.

The converter may include: a first converter that converts the electricenergy supplied by the thermoelectric generator to the first auxiliarydriving voltage; and a second converter that converts the electricenergy supplied by the thermoelectric generator to the second auxiliarydriving voltage, wherein the first converter and the second convertermay be a step-down converter that steps down a voltage of the electricalenergy generated by the thermoelectric generation portion to aparticular voltage value.

The display device may further include: a display panel where thedisplay portion is disposed; a printed circuit board where the signalcontroller, and the power supply are disposed; and a flexible printedcircuit board connected between the display panel and the printedcircuit board, and where the data driver is disposed.

The display device may further include, for example, a heat dissipationsubstrate that is disposed at a rear side of the display panel, whereinthe thermoelectric generation portion may be disposed between theprinted circuit board and the heat dissipation substrate.

The thermoelectric generation portion may include, for example, ahigh-temperature portion that contacts the printed circuit board and alow-temperature portion that contacts the heat dissipation substrate.

The thermoelectric generation portion may overlap at least one of thesignal controller and the power supply.

The display device may further include a backlight unit that emits lighttoward the display portion, wherein the thermoelectric generationportion may generate the electrical energy by using heat generated bythe backlight unit.

The backlight unit may include a light source portion that partiallyoverlaps the printed circuit board, and the thermoelectric generationportion may include a high-temperature portion that overlaps the lightsource portion and a low-temperature portion that does not overlap thelight source portion, and may be disposed on the printed circuit board.

The thermoelectric generation portion may be disposed on the printedcircuit board, and may include a high-temperature portion that isdisposed adjacent to at least one of the signal controller and the powersupply and a low-temperature portion that is disposed in a portionhaving a relatively low temperature in the printed circuit board.

The display device may further include: a gate driver circuit thatapplies a gate signal to gate lines connected to the plurality ofpixels; a plurality of clock wires connected to the gate driver; andcommon voltage wires transmitting a reference voltage to the pluralityof pixels, wherein the thermoelectric generation portion may overlap theplurality of clock wires and the common voltage wires.

The thermoelectric generation portion may be disposed on a display panelwhere the plurality of pixels, the plurality of clock wires, and thecommon voltage wires are disposed.

The thermoelectric generation portion may include a high-temperatureportion that overlaps the plurality of clock wires and a low-temperatureportion that overlaps the common voltage wires.

The display device may further include a storage portion chargingelectrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generation portion,wherein the storage portion may discharge the charged electrical energyto the converter.

The display device may further include, for example, a voltage detectorthat detects whether a voltage of the electrical energy generated by thethermoelectric generation portion exceeds a threshold voltage, andtransmits an enable signal that operates the converter to the converterwhen the voltage of the electrical energy exceeds the threshold voltage.

A display device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept mayincludes: a display portion including a plurality of pixels; a datadriver applying a data signal to data lines connected to the pluralityof pixels; a signal controller transmitting an image data signal to thedata driver for generation of the data signal; a power supply generatinga driving voltage to operate the signal controller and the data driver;and a thermoelectric generation portion generating electrical energy byusing heat generated by at least one of the signal controller, the powersupply, and the data driver, wherein the power supply includes: a powerconverter generating the driving voltage; a switch portion supplying oneof a panel power voltage supplied from an external device and anauxiliary panel power source voltage generated by using the electricalenergy to the power converter; and a voltage detector generating aselection signal to select one of the panel power voltage and theauxiliary panel power source voltage to be transmitted to the powerconverter according to the auxiliary panel power source voltage andtransmitting the selection signal to the switch portion.

The display device may further include a storage portion that storeselectrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generation portion andsupplying the charged electrical energy to the switch portion as theauxiliary panel power source voltage. For example, the storage portionis charged by the electrical energy generated by the thermoelectricgenerator.

The display device may further include a charging switch connectedbetween the thermoelectric generation portion and the storage portion,wherein the voltage detector may transmit a charge signal that turnson/turns off the charging switch according to the auxiliary panel powersource voltage to the charging switch.

The display device can self-generate electric power by, for example,converting heat into electrical energy for consumption by the device.The display device may reduce external power consumption through theself-generation of electric power.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept, a display device may include:a display portion including a plurality of pixels; a data driver thatapplies a data signal to data lines connected to the plurality ofpixels; a signal controller configured to transmit an image data signalto the data driver for generation of the data signal; a thermoelectricgenerator having a high-temperature portion and a low temperatureportion and generates an electrical energy based on a difference in heatat the high-temperature portion and the low temperature portion; astorage device that stores the electrical energy output from thethermoelectric generator when there is a difference in heat; and acomparator that controls switching between the storage device and anexternal source to provide a driving voltage to at least one of the datadriver and the signal controller from the storage device when a level ofthe stored electrical energy exceeds a threshold.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept, a method of providingself-generated power to a display device includes: providing a displayportion including a plurality of pixels; applying, by a data driver, adata signal to data lines connected to the plurality of pixels;transmitting, by a signal controller, an image data signal to the datadriver for generation of the data signal; generating, by a powerconverter connected to a power supply, a driving voltage configured tooperate the signal controller and the data driver; and self-generating,by a thermoelectric generation portion, electrical energy from heatgenerated by at least one of the signal controller, the power supply,and the data driver, switching, by a switch portion, between a portionsupplying one of a panel power voltage supplied from an external deviceand an auxiliary panel power source voltage output from the powerconverter; and generating, by a voltage detector, a selection signal toselect one of the panel power voltage and the auxiliary panel powersource voltage to be transmitted to the power converter according to theauxiliary panel power source voltage and transmitting the selectionsignal to the switch portion.

The method may also include providing a storage portion that storeselectrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generation portion,and supplying the electrical energy to the switch portion as theauxiliary panel power source voltage.

In an embodiment of the inventive concept, both the storage device andthe external source both provide a portion of the driving voltage. Thus,the storage device, which is charged with self-generated electricalenergy via the thermoelectric generator, can reduce the power providedby the external source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

FIG. 2 shows a thermoelectric generator that may be included in thedisplay device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a thermoelectric generator element included inthe thermoelectric generator of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a connection configuration ofwiring through which a current generated by the thermoelectric generatorof the display device of FIG. 1 flows.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an arrangement ofthermoelectric generation modules in the display device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a location of a printed circuit board at arear side of the display device, viewed from the rear of the displaydevice.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a location state of the printed circuit boardat the rear side of the display device of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view provided for description ofanother embodiment of arrangement of thermoelectric generation modulesof the display device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a state in which a printed circuit board isdisposed at a rear side of the display device of FIG. 8, viewed from therear of the display device.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a state in which a printed circuit boardis disposed at a rear side of the display device, viewed from the rearof the display device according to another embodiment of an arrangementof the thermoelectric generation portion in the display device of FIG.1.

FIG. 11 shows a part of the display panel of the display device fordescription of another embodiment of an arrangement of thethermoelectric generation portions in the display device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the inventive concept will be described inmore detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As those ofordinary skill in the art would understand, the described embodimentsmay be modified in various different ways, all without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the present inventive concept.

The drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative innature and not restrictive. Like reference numerals designate likeelements throughout the specification.

In addition, the size and thickness of each configuration shown in thedrawings are arbitrarily shown for better understanding and ease ofdescription, but the present inventive concept is not limited thereto.In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc.,are exaggerated for clarity.

It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film,region, or substrate is referred to as being “on” another element, itcan be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon” another element, there are no intervening elements present. The word“on” or “above” is to be understood as referring to being positioned onor below the object portion, and does not necessarily mean positioned onthe upper side of the object portion based on a gravitational direction.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word“comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will beunderstood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not theexclusion of any other elements.

In this specification, the phrase “on a plane” refers to viewing atarget portion from the top, and the phrase “on a cross-section” meansviewing a cross-section formed by vertically cutting a target portionfrom the side.

Also, throughout the specification, when it is referred to as“overlapped”, this means that it is overlapped on the cross section, orall or part of the plane is located in the same area.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 11, a display deviceaccording to an embodiment of the inventive concept will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a display device according to anembodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 1, a display device 10 is shown in this example asbeing a liquid crystal display (LCD), but a person of ordinary skill inthe art should understand and appreciate that the inventive concept isapplicable to devices other than LCD devices. The display device 10includes, for example, a signal controller 100, a gate driver 200, adata driver 300, a backlight unit 400, a power supply 500, athermoelectric generation portion 600, a converter 700, and a displayportion 800.

The signal controller 100 receives an input image signal ImS and asynchronization signal input from an external device. The input imagesignal ImS includes luminance information regarding a plurality ofpixels. Luminance may have a predetermined number of gray levels, forexample, the gray levels could be 1024, (=2¹⁰), 256 (=2⁸), or 64 (=2⁶).The synchronization signal includes a horizontal synchronization signalHsync, a vertical synchronization signal Vsync, and a main clock signalMCLK.

The signal controller 100 generates a first driving control signalCONT1, a second driving control signal CONT2, and an image data signalImD according to the input video signal ImS, the horizontalsynchronization signal Hsync, the vertical synchronization signal Vsync,and the main clock signal MCLK.

The signal controller 100 divides the input image signal ImS by frameunits according to the vertical synchronization signal Vsync, anddivides the input image signal ImS by gate line units according to thehorizontal synchronization signal Hsync to generate the image datasignal ImD. The signal controller 100 transmits the image data signalImD and the first driving control signal CONT1 to the data driver 300.The signal controller 100 transmits the second driving control signalCONT2 to the gate driver 200. The second driving control signal CONT2may include a plurality of clock signals, which will be described laterwith reference to FIG. 11.

The display portion 800 includes a display area having a plurality ofpixels. In the display portion 800, a plurality of gate lines thatextend substantially in a row direction and are almost parallel witheach other and a plurality of data lines that extend substantially in acolumn direction and are almost parallel with each other are formed tobe connected to the pixels.

Each of the plurality of pixels may emit light of primary colors. Theprimary colors may exemplarily include red, green, and blue, and thethree primary colors are spatially or temporally combined to obtain adesired color. A color may be displayed by a red pixel, a green pixel,and a blue pixel, and the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixelmay be collectively referred to as one pixel.

The gate driver 200 is connected to the plurality of gate lines, andgenerates a plurality of gate signals S[1] to S[n] according to thesecond driving control signal CONT2. The gate driver 200 maysequentially apply a gate signals S[1] to S[n] of a gate-on voltage to acorresponding gate line.

The data driver 300 is connected to a plurality of data lines, performssampling and holding on the image data signal ImD according to the firstdriving control signal CONT1, and transmits a plurality of data voltagesdata[1]-data[m] to a plurality of data lines. The data driver 300 issynchronized with a time that the plurality of gate signals S[1] to S[n]respectively have the gate-on voltage, and thus applies the plurality ofdata voltages data[1] to data[m] according to the image data signal ImDto the plurality of data lines.

The backlight unit 400 includes at least one light source, and emitslight toward the display portion 800 by receiving a backlight powersource voltage VLED from an external device. As the light emitted fromthe backlight unit 400 passes through the display portion 800, the lightis converted into a plurality of gray levels corresponding to theplurality of data signals data[1] to data[m] such that an image can bedisplayed. The backlight power source voltage VLED may be about, forexample, 20 V to 30 V.

If the display device 10 in this embodiment is a light emitting display,the backlight unit 400 can be omitted, and each of the plurality ofpixels may be self-emissive by including a light emission layer thatincludes an organic light emitting material or an inorganic lightemitting material.

The power supply 500 receives a panel power source voltage VCC from anexternal device, and generates a first driving voltage VT and a seconddriving voltage VD. The first driving voltage VT and the second drivingvoltage VD are supplied to the signal controller 100. The first drivingvoltage VT and the second driving voltage VD may be used as powervoltages to operate of the signal controller 100. In addition, thesecond driving voltage VD is supplied to the data driver 300. The seconddriving voltage VD may be used as a power source voltage to operate thedata driver 300. The panel power source voltage VCC may be about 5 V,the first driving voltage VT may be about 1.2 V, and the second drivingvoltage VD may be about 1.8 V.

The thermoelectric generation portion 600 generates electrical energy(e.g., a current) by using heat generated by at least one of the signalcontroller 100, the data driver 300, the backlight unit 400, and thepower supply 500. The thermoelectric generator may be constructed, forexample of materials that may have a relatively high electricalconductivity and a relatively low thermal conductivity. The relativelylow thermal conductivity may result in one side of the thermoelectricmaterial being much hotter than another side during operation of thedisplay device, and such a difference may result in generation of avoltage.

A configuration and operation of the thermoelectric generation portion600 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Inaddition, an embodiment of arrangement of the thermoelectric generationportion 600 in the display device 10 will be subsequently described withreference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 11.

The thermoelectric generation portion 600 supplies the generatedelectrical energy to the converter 700. A voltage of about 3 to 5 V maybe generated by the thermoelectric generation portion 600, and such avoltage may be transmitted to the converter 700.

The converter 700 may comprises a circuit that receives the voltage ofabout 3 to 5 V (in this embodiment) and converts a value of the voltageto output a first auxiliary voltage value VTs and a second auxiliaryvoltage value VDs by using electrical energy supplied from thethermoelectric generation portion 600. Moreover, the converter 700 mayinclude a first converter 710 and a second converter 720, which will bedescribed later with reference to FIG. 4. The first converter 710 mayoutput a first auxiliary driving voltage VTs, and the second converter720 may output a second auxiliary driving voltage VDs. The firstauxiliary driving voltage VTs may be the same voltage, or about the samevoltage as the first driving voltage VT, and the second auxiliarydriving voltage VDs may be the same voltage, or about the same voltageas the second driving voltage VD. The first converter 710 and the secondconverter 720 may be comprised of step-down converters that step downthe voltage of about 3 to 5 V, supplied from the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600, to a lower value (e.g., 1.2 V and 1.8 V) andoutput them. The first auxiliary driving voltage VTs may be supplied tothe signal controller 100. The second auxiliary driving voltage VDs maybe supplied to, for example, both the signal controller 100 and the datadriver 300.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the first auxiliarydriving voltage VTs is being supplied to the signal controller 100, andthus the amount of current supplied to the signal controller 100 fromthe power supply 500 can be reduced. In addition, the second auxiliarydriving voltage VDs in this embodiment is supplied to both the signalcontroller 100 and the data driver 300, the amount of current suppliedto the signal controller 100 and the data driver 300 from the powersupply 500 can be reduced. Accordingly, the power supply 500 can reducethe amount of power that the power supply 500 obtains using the panelpower source voltage VCC.

As discussed in part herein above, the display device 10 generateselectrical energy using heat generated by at least one of the signalcontroller 100, the data driver 300, the backlight unit 400, and thepower supply 500 and supplies the generated electrical energy as a powersource voltage for operation of the signal controller 100 and the datadriver 300. Accordingly, power consumption of the display device 10 canbe reduced.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a thermoelectric generator that may beincluded in the display device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a thermoelectricgenerator element that may be included in the thermoelectric generatorof FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the thermoelectric generationportion 600 may include, for example, at least one of thermoelectricgeneration elements 620. The plurality of thermoelectric generationelements 620 that are shown in FIG. 3 are disposed between a firstinsulation substrate 611 and a second insulation substrate 612 and maybe electrically coupled in series. A person of ordinary skill in the artshould understand and appreciate that the number and arrangement ofthermoelectric generation elements 620 is not limited to the arrangementshown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

With particular reference to FIG. 3, the thermoelectric generationelements 620 include a first terminal 621, a second terminal 622, athird terminal 623, a p-type semiconductor 625, and an n-typesemiconductor 626. A first end of the p-type semiconductor 625 isconnected to the first terminal 621 and a second end thereof isconnected to the second terminal 622. One end of the first end of then-type semiconductor 626 is connected to the first terminal 621 and theother end is connected to the third terminal 623. The first terminal621, second terminal 622 and third terminal 623 each may include aconductive material.

When a temperature difference occurs between opposite ends of the p-typesemiconductor 625, electron holes move to a low-temperature portion froma high-temperature portion. When a temperature difference occurs betweenopposite ends of the n-type semiconductor 626, electrons move to alow-temperature portion from a high-temperature portion. Accordingly,the high-temperature portion is negatively charged and thelow-temperature portion is positively charged in the p-typesemiconductor 625. In addition, the high-temperature portion ispositively charged and the low-temperature portion is negatively chargedin the n-type semiconductor 626. This flow of charges between thehigh-temperature portion and the low-temperature portion that creates avoltage difference between the different materials is referred to as aSeebeck effect.

When the first terminal 621 is maintained at a relatively hightemperature, holes move to the second terminal 622 from the firstterminal 621 such that a potential of the second terminal 622 isincreased in the p-type semiconductor 625. In addition, in the n-typesemiconductor 626, electrons move to the third terminal 623 from thefirst terminal 621 such that a potential of the third terminal 623 isdecreased. Accordingly, an electromotive force is generated between thesecond terminal 622 and the third terminal 623 such that a currentflows. Due to the movement of the holes and the electrons, heatabsorption is carried out in the first terminal 621, and heat emissionis carried out in the second terminal 622 and the third terminal 623.

The second terminal 622 is connected to a first connection wire 627, andthe third terminal 623 is connected to a second connection wire 628.

The first connection wire 627 is connected to a second connection wire628 of another adjacent thermoelectric generation element 620, and thesecond connection wire 628 is connected to a first connection wire 627of still another adjacent thermoelectric generation element 620 suchthat the plurality of thermoelectric generation elements 620 can beelectrically coupled in series. The current generated by theelectromotive force of the plurality of thermoelectric generationelements 620 may flow to the converter 700 through a first power wire613 and a second power wire 614.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the first terminals 621 of theplurality of thermoelectric generation elements 620 contact the firstinsulation substrate 611, and the second terminals 622 and the thirdterminals 623 contact the second insulation substrate 612. In anarrangement of the thermoelectric generator, in which the firstinsulation substrate 611 contacts a heat generation portion and thesecond insulation substrate 612 contacts a non-heat generation portion,the plurality of thermoelectric generation elements 620 can generate acurrent. The heat generation portion of the display device 10 may be aportion having a relatively high temperature compared to the periphery,and the non-heat generation portion may be a portion having a relativelylow temperature.

Although it is described that the thermoelectric generation elements 620are disposed between the first insulation substrate 611 and the secondinsulation substrate 612, at least one of the first insulation substrate611 and the second insulation substrate 612 may be omitted in thethermoelectric generation portion 600 according to an embodiment of theinventive concept. For example, the first terminal 621 of at least onethermoelectric generation element 620 may directly contact the heatgeneration portion of the display device 10, or the second terminal 622and the third terminal 623 may directly contact the non-heat generationportion of the display device 10. In addition, the structure of thethermoelectric generator shown in FIG. 2 is an embodiment of theinventive concept, and a person of ordinary skill in the art shouldunderstand and appreciate that the shape of the first insulationsubstrate 611 and the shape of the second insulation substrate 612 orthe arrangement of the thermoelectric generation elements 620 may bevariously changed depending on a structure and a width of a locationwhere the thermoelectric generator is placed.

Hereinafter, for better understanding and ease of description, the firstinsulation substrate 611, with which the first terminals 621 of therespective thermoelectric generation elements 620 are in contact, willbe referred to as a “high-temperature portion” of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600, and the second insulation substrate 612 withwhich the second terminals 622 and the third terminals 623 of therespective thermoelectric generation elements 620 are in contact will bereferred to as “a low-temperature portion” of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600. Depending on an embodiment, the first terminals621 of the thermoelectric generation elements 620 may be ahigh-temperature portion of the thermoelectric generation portion 600,and the second terminal 622 and the third terminal 623 of thethermoelectric generation elements 620 may be a low-temperature portionof the thermoelectric generation portion 600.

FIG. 4 is an block diagram of a connection configuration of wiresthrough which a current generated by the thermoelectric generationportion of the display device of FIG. 1 flows according to an embodimentof the inventive concept.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a first power wire 613 connected to thethermoelectric generation portion 600 is connected to the firstconverter 710 and the second converter 720. The second power wire 614connected to the thermoelectric generation portion 600 is also connectedto the first converter 710 and the second converter 720. The firstconverter 710 and the second converter 720 may receive electrical energygenerated by the thermoelectric generation portion 600 through the firstpower wire 613 and the second power wire 614.

The power supply 500 and the signal controller 100 are connected to eachother through a first driving voltage wire 101 and a second drivingvoltage wire 102. The first driving voltage VTs may be supplied to thesignal controller 100 through the first driving voltage wire 101, andthe second driving voltage VDs may be supplied to the data driver 300through the second driving voltage wire 102.

The first converter 710 is connected to the first driving voltage wire101 through a first auxiliary driving voltage wire 711. The firstconverter 710 may supply (e.g. output) a first auxiliary driving voltageVTs converted from the electrical energy supplied from thethermoelectric generation portion 600 to the first driving voltage wire101 through the first auxiliary driving voltage wire 711. The firstauxiliary driving voltage VTs may be about 1.2 V, which is about thesame as the first driving voltage VT.

The power supply 500 and the data driver 300 are connected to each otherthrough the second driving voltage wire 102. The second driving voltageVD may be supplied to the data driver 300 through the second drivingvoltage wire 102.

The second converter 720 is connected to the second driving voltage wire102 through a second auxiliary driving voltage wire 721. The secondconverter 720 may output (e.g., supply) the second auxiliary drivingvoltage VDs by converting a voltage value of the electrical energysupplied from the thermoelectric generation portion 600 to the seconddriving voltage wire 102 through the second auxiliary driving voltagewire 721. The second auxiliary driving voltage VDs may be about 1.8 V,which is about the same as the second driving voltage VD received fromthe power supply 500.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an embodiment ofthe inventive concept in which an arrangement of a thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 will now be described in more detail.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a display device provided toillustrate an embodiment of an arrangement of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 in the display device of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a topplan view illustrating a state in which a printed circuit board isarranged at a rear side of the display device of FIG. 5, viewed from arear side of the display device. FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating astate in which the printed circuit board is located at the rear side ofthe display device of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the gate driver 200 and the displayportion 800 may be disposed in a display panel 810. However, the gatedriver 200 may be disposed elsewhere in the device, e.g., a side of thedisplay panel 810. The signal controller 100, the power supply 500, andthe converter 700 may be disposed on a printed circuit board 910. Thedata driver 300 may be provided as an integrated circuit (IC) in aflexible printed circuit board 920 that is connected between the displaypanel 810 and the printed circuit board 910. Here, two flexible printedcircuit boards 920 and two data drivers 300 are provided, but the numberof flexible printed circuit boards 920 and the number of data drivers300 is not restricted to the arrangement shown in FIG. 5. For example,although not shown in the drawing, the number of data drivers 300 maynot correspond to the number of flexible printed circuit boards 920.

The backlight unit 400 (see FIG. 5) is disposed at a rear side of thedisplay panel 810, and a heat dissipation substrate 450 may be disposedat a rear side of the backlight unit 400. The heat dissipation substrate450 may include a metal material having excellent thermal conductivitysuch as aluminum or the like. A front side of the display panel 810implies a side where an image is displayed, and the rear side of thedisplay panel 810 implies the opposite side of the side where the imageis displayed.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the backlight unit 400 is attached to therear side of the display panel 810, and the heat dissipation substrate450 is attached to the rear side of the backlight unit 400. In addition,the flexible printed circuit board 920 may be bent (see FIG. 7) so as toarrange the printed circuit board 910 at the rear side of the heatdissipation substrate 450, which is at the rear side of the displaypanel 810. For example, the flexible printed circuit board 920 may beconnected at one end to the front side of the display panel 810 and bentto connect to the printed circuit board 910 when the printed circuitboard is positioned to the rear (e.g. behind) the heat dissipationsubstrate 450. In this case, the thermoelectric generation portion 600is disposed between the heat dissipation substrate 450 and the printedcircuit board 910. The high-temperature portion of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 may contact the printed circuit board 910, andthe low-temperature portion may contact the heat dissipation substrate450. Particularly, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may overlapat least one of the signal controller 100 and the power supply 500 on aplane. For example, the signal controller 100 and the power supply 500are disposed on one side of the printed circuit board 910, and thethermoelectric generation portion 600 may be disposed at a location ofthe other side of the printed circuit board 910, overlapping at leastone of the signal controller 100 and the power supply 500.

With continued reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the signal controller 100 andthe power supply 500 may additionally comprise a heat dissipationportion having a relatively higher temperature than the periphery in theprinted circuit board 910. In addition, the heat dissipation substrate450 is a non-heat dissipation portion having excellent thermalconductivity and thus having a relatively low temperature.

Accordingly, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 (shown in FIGS. 6and 7) may generate a current by a temperature difference between thehigh-temperature portion and the low-temperature portion, and thegenerated current may be transmitted to the converter 700 through a wire(not shown) formed in the printed circuit board 910. In addition, heatfrom the printed circuit board 910 is transmitted to the heatdissipation substrate 450 through the thermoelectric generation portion600 so that a temperature of the printed circuit board 910 can belowered.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 8 and to FIG. 9, another embodiment of anarrangement of the thermoelectric generation portion 600 will now bedescribed.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the display according toanother embodiment of an arrangement of the thermoelectric generationportion 600 in the display device of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a top plan viewof a state in which a printed circuit board 910 is disposed at a rearside of the display device of FIG. 8, viewed from the rear of thedisplay device.

Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the backlight unit 400 may include alight source portion 410 that emits light and a light guide portion 420that uniformly transmits the light emitted from the light source portion410 throughout the entire surface of the display portion 800.

The light source portion 410 may include a backlight printed circuitboard 412 where a plurality of light emitting diodes 411 are embedded,and may be disposed at one side of the light guide portion 420. When theprinted circuit board 910 (on which the signal controller 100, the powersupply 500, and the converter 700 are disposed) is placed at a rear sideof the heat dissipation substrate 450, the light source portion 410 maypartially overlap the printed circuit board 910 on a plane. Thethermoelectric generation portion 600 may be disposed on the printedcircuit board 910 where the signal controller 100, the power supply 500,and the converter 700 are disposed. In this case, the high-temperatureportion of the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may overlap thelight source portion 410, and the low-temperature portion may notoverlap the light source portion 410.

The light source portion 410 is a heat dissipation portion having arelatively high temperature compared to the periphery, and a portion ofthe printed circuit board 910 not overlapping the light source portion410 may be a non-heat dissipation portion having a relatively lowtemperature. Heat from the light source portion 410 may be transmittedto the printed circuit board 910 through the thermoelectric generationportion 600 so that a temperature of the light source portion 410 may belowered, and according to the inventive concept the transmitted heat canbe used by the thermoelectric portion to generate electric energy.

Meanwhile, the light source portion 410 may overlap the flexible printedcircuit board 920 where the data driver 300 is embedded, and thehigh-temperature portion of the thermoelectric generation portion 600may be adjacent to the data driver 300. Accordingly, heat from the datadriver 300 is transmitted to the printed circuit board 910 through thethermoelectric generation portion 600 so that the temperature of thedata driver 300 may be lowered.

In FIG. 9, two thermoelectric generation portions 600 are illustrated,but the number of thermoelectric generation portions 600 is not limitedto two. In addition, the placement of the two thermoelectric generationportions 600 is not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 9.

The features of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5 toFIG. 7 may be applied to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.8 and FIG. 9, and therefore a description of some of the featurespreviously discussed with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 will be omittedduring the discussion of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 10, another embodiment of an arrangementof the thermoelectric generation portion 600 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an arrangement in which a printed circuitboard 910 is disposed at a rear side of the display device, viewed fromthe rear of the display device according to another embodiment of anarrangement of the thermoelectric generating portion in the displaydevice of FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the thermoelectric generation portions 600 maybe disposed adjacent to at least one of the signal controller 100 andthe power supply 500 on the printed circuit board 910. Thehigh-temperature portion of the thermoelectric generation portion 600may be disposed closest to the signal controller 100 or may contact thesignal controller 100, and the low-temperature portion of thethermoelectric generation portion 600 may be disposed in a portionhaving a relatively low temperature in the printed circuit board 910.Alternatively, the high-temperature portion of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 may be disposed closest to the power supply 500and/or may contact the power supply 500, and the low-temperature portionof the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may be disposed in aportion in the printed circuit board 910 having a relatively lowtemperature. The power supply 500, for example, may generate more heatthan the signal controller 100, so arranging the high-temperatureportion closest to the power supply 500 may assist in maximizing heattransfer to the thermoelectric generation portion 600.

In addition, heat from the signal controller 100 and the power supply500 may be transmitted to a portion having a relatively low temperaturethrough the thermoelectric generation portions 600 so that temperaturesof the signal controller 100 and the power supply 500 can be lowered.

FIG. 10 illustrates two thermoelectric generation portions 600, but thenumber of thermoelectric generation portions 600 is not restricted totwo.

The features of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 5 toFIG. 7 may be applied to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.10, and therefore a description of the features previously-describedwith reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 will be omitted in this discussion.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 11, another embodiment of an arrangementof the thermoelectric generation portions 600 will now be described.

FIG. 11 shows a part of the display panel 810 of the display device fordescription of another embodiment of an arrangement of thethermoelectric generation portions 600 in the display device of FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a plurality of clock wires 210 may be providedin the display panel 810 to transmit a plurality of clock signals to thegate driver 200 from the signal controller 100. The plurality of clockwires 210 may extend, for example, along an edge of the display panel810 from the flexible printed circuit board 920 and thus may beconnected to the gate driver 200.

In addition, a common voltage wire 820 may be disposed in the displaypanel 810 to transmit a reference voltage to the plurality of pixels.The common voltage wire 820 may be disposed adjacent to the plurality ofclock wires 210.

With continued reference to FIG. 11, a width of the plurality of clockwires 210 may be different than that of the common voltage wire 820.Both the quantity of actual wires, and the distance between the wiresmay be different. For example, FIG. 11 shows 6 clock wires 210, and onlya common voltage wire 820. In addition, the plurality of clock signalsmay be signals that fluctuate between a low voltage of about −12 V andabout 30 V at regular intervals. Since such a plurality of clock signalshaving a high voltage difference are applied to the plurality of clockwires 210 having the small width there between, the plurality of clockwires 210 may be a high-temperature portion having a relatively hightemperature compared to the periphery due to their resistances.

Meanwhile, the reference voltage may be a constant voltage of about 0 Vand the common voltage wire 820 have the relatively large width therebetween, and therefore the common voltage wire 820 may be alow-temperature portion having a relatively low temperature.

The thermoelectric generation portion 600 may be disposed overlappingthe plurality of clock wires 210 and the common voltage wire 820 on thedisplay panel 810. The high-temperature portion of the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 may overlap the plurality of clock wires 210, andthe low-temperature portion may overlap the common voltage wire 820. Therespective overlap of wires operating at different temperatures maycause current to flow in the thermoelectric generator.

Accordingly, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may generate acurrent due to a temperature difference between the high-temperatureportion and the low-temperature portion. A wire (not shown) may beprovided in the display panel 810 to transmit a current generated by thethermoelectric generation portion 600, for example, to the converter700, and the current of the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may betransmitted to the converter 700 of the printed circuit board 910through the flexible printed circuit board 920. In addition, heat of theplurality of clock wires 210 is transmitted to the common voltage wire820 through the thermoelectric generation portion 600 so that thetemperature of the plurality of clock wires 210 may be lowered.

The embodiment of the arrangement of the thermoelectric generationportion 600 shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8and FIG. 9, the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, and the embodiment shown inFIG. 11 may be selectively iteratively applied to the display device 10.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 12, a display device according to anotherembodiment of the inventive concept will be described. Only a differencecompared to the display device of FIG. 1 will be mainly described.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a display device according to anotherembodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 12, a display device 10 may further include a storageportion 1000. In this embodiment, the storage portion 1000 is directlyconnected to the thermoelectric generation portion 600 and the converter700.

A thermoelectric generation portion 600 supplies generated electricalenergy to the storage portion 1000, and the storage portion 1000 chargesthe electrical energy supplied from the thermoelectric generationportion 600. The storage portion 1000 may include, for example, arechargeable battery that can be iteratively charged and discharged. Thestorage portion 1000 discharges the charged electrical energy to theconverter 700, and the converter 700 may convert the charged electricalenergy supplied from the storage portion 1000 (e.g. battery) to a firstauxiliary driving voltage VTs and a second auxiliary driving voltageVDs. Alternatively, it is possible that the storage portion 1000 couldbe capacitive, such capacitors may not store as much charge as abattery, and could be subject to leakage and relatively short cycles inwhich a charge is held when compared with, for example, a battery.

In addition, other features of the embodiment described with referenceto FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 can be applied to the embodiment described withreference to FIG. 12, and therefore description of such features withregard to the embodiment of FIG. 12 will be omitted.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, a display device accordingto an embodiment of the inventive concept will be described. Only aparticular difference compared to the embodiment of FIG. 1 will bedescribed herein below.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a display device according to anotherembodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a power supply 500 may include a first powerconverter 510, a second power converter 520, a switch portion 530, and avoltage detector 540. A thermoelectric generation portion 600 may supplyelectrical energy generated from the heat radiated by the display device10 to the power supply 500 as an auxiliary panel power source voltageVCC′. In this case, the converter 700 of FIG. 1 can be omitted.

The first power converter 510 receives a power voltage through theswitch portion 530 and generates a first driving voltage VT.

The second power converter 520 receives a power voltage through theswitch portion 530 and generates a second driving voltage VD.

The switch portion 530 receives a panel power voltage VCC from anexternal device, may also receive an auxiliary power voltage VCC′ fromthe thermoelectric generation portion 600, and supplies one of the panelpower voltage VCC and the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ tothe first power converter 510 and the second power converter 520according to receipt of a selection signal Slct. For example, the firstpower converter 510 and the second power converter 520 may receive oneof the panel power voltage VCC and the auxiliary panel power sourcevoltage VCC′ as a power voltage.

The voltage detector 540 receives the auxiliary panel power sourcevoltage VCC′ from the thermoelectric generation portion 600, and detectswhether the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ exceeds athreshold voltage that would indicate that VCC′ is sufficiently large tobe used in place of VCC from the external source. The voltage detector540 generates the selection signal Slct to supply the panel powervoltage VCC to the first power converter 510 and the second powerconverter 520 when the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ islower than the threshold voltage, and transmits the generated selectionsignal Slct to the switch portion 530. When the auxiliary panel powersource voltage VCC′ exceeds the threshold voltage, the voltage detector540 generates a selection signal Slct to supply the auxiliary panelpower source voltage VCC′ to the first power converter 510 and thesecond power converter 520, and transmits the selection signal Slct tothe switch portion 530.

For example, when the panel power source voltage VCC is 5 V, thethreshold voltage of the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ maybe 5 V (e.g. about the same as the panel power source voltage VCC).Accordingly, when the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′generated by the thermoelectric generation portion 600 is lower than 5V, the first driving voltage VT and the second driving voltage VD aregenerated by using the panel power voltage VCC supplied from theexternal device/source, and when the auxiliary panel power sourcevoltage VCC′ generated by the thermoelectric generation portion 600 is 5V or higher, the first driving voltage VT and the second driving voltageVD can be generated by using the auxiliary panel power source voltageVCC′.

Although it has been described in the above examples that the voltagedetector 540 is included in the power supply 500, the voltage detector540 may be provided separately from the power supply 500. In addition,the voltage detector 540 maybe be comprised of, for example, acomparator circuit.

In addition, the features described with reference to FIG. 1 throughFIG. 11 can be applied to the embodiment described with reference toFIG. 13, and therefore such a description of the features of FIG. 13will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a display device according to anotherembodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 14, a display device 10 may further include a voltagedetector 540. It can also be seen that FIG. 14 does show a switch as inthe previous arrangement of FIG. 13, and there is a single converter700.

The voltage detector 540 receives electrical energy from athermoelectric generation portion 600, and detects whether a voltage ofthe electrical energy exceeds a threshold voltage. The threshold voltagemay be set to a voltage between, for example, about 3 V and 5 V.

When the voltage of the electrical energy supplied from thethermoelectric generation portion 600 exceeds the threshold voltage, thevoltage detector 540 may generate an enable signal EN that enables aconverter 700 to operate and transmit the enable signal EN to theconverter 700. When the voltage of the electrical energy supplied fromthe thermoelectric generation portion 600 is lower than the thresholdvoltage, the voltage detector 540 blocks transmission of the enablesignal EN to stop operation of the converter 700.

Accordingly, with continued reference to FIG. 14, when the voltage ofthe electrical energy supplied from the thermoelectric generationportion 600 is lower than the threshold voltage, the display device 10is driven by using the first driving voltage VT and the second drivingvoltage VD generated by the power supply 500, and when the voltage ofthe electrical energy supplied from the thermoelectric generationportion 600 is higher than the threshold voltage, the display device 10can be driven by using the first driving voltage VT and the seconddriving voltage VD generated by the power supply 500 and the firstauxiliary driving voltage VTs and the second auxiliary driving voltageVDs generated by using the electrical energy generated by thethermoelectric generation portion 600.

Except for such a difference, features described with reference to FIG.1 to FIG. 11 can be applied to the embodiment described with referenceto FIG. 14, and therefore to avoid redundancy, a description of thesefeatures will be omitted.

FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of a display device according toanother embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 15, a display device 10 may further include a storageportion 1000 and a charging switch 1010. In addition, the power supply500 may include a first power converter 510, a second power converter520, a switch portion 530, and a voltage detector 540.

The thermoelectric generation portion 600 may supply generatedelectrical energy to the storage portion 1000 through the chargingswitch 1010. The storage portion 1000 may be a rechargeable battery. Inthis case, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 may supply theelectrical energy to the voltage detector 540.

The charging switch 1010 is connected between the thermoelectricgeneration portion 600 and the storage portion 1000, and is turnedon/off according to a charge signal CS from the voltage detector 540.

The storage portion 1000 stores electrical energy supplied from thethermoelectric generation portion 600 via the charging switch 1010. Thestorage portion 1000 may include a rechargeable battery that can becharged and discharged. The storage portion 1000 supplies the chargedelectrical energy to the power supply 500 as an auxiliary panel powersource voltage VCC′.

The first power converter 510 receives the power voltage through theswitch portion 530 and generates a first driving voltage VT.

The second power converter 520 receives the power voltage through theswitch portion 530 and generates a second driving voltage VD.

The switch portion 530 receives a panel power voltage VCC from anexternal device, receives an auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′from the storage portion 1000, and supplies one of the panel powervoltage VCC and the auxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ to thefirst power converter 510 and the second power converter 520 accordingto a selection signal Slct from the voltage detector 540. For example,the first power converter 510 and the second power converter 520 mayreceive one of the panel power voltage VCC and the auxiliary panel powersource voltage VCC′ as a power voltage.

The voltage detector 540 detects whether a voltage of electrical energygenerated by the thermoelectric generation portion 600 exceeds athreshold voltage. The threshold voltage may be set to a voltage betweenabout 3 V and 5 V.

The voltage detector 540 transmits a charge signal CS that turns on(e.g. activates) the charging switch 1010 when the voltage of theelectrical energy provided from the thermoelectric generation portion600 is higher than the threshold voltage, the electrical energy chargesthe storage portion 1000 with the electrical energy generated by thethermoelectric generation portion 600. In this case, the voltagedetector 540 generates the selection signal Slct and transmits theselection signal Slct to the switch portion 530 for supplying of theauxiliary panel power source voltage VCC′ to the first power converter510 and the second power converter 520. Accordingly, the first drivingvoltage VT and the second driving voltage VD are generated by using theelectrical energy stored in the storage portion 1000 such that thedisplay device 10 can be driven with electrical energy generated by theheat generated by various components of the display device 10. Forexample, one or more of the signal controller 100, gate driver 200, datadriver 300, backlight unit 400, power supply 500 emits heat that is usedby the thermoelectric generation portion 600 to convert the heat energyinto electrical energy, and via at least one converter 700 theelectrical energy can be converted to a voltage level that can be usedfor operation of the display device instead of an external power source.

The voltage detector 540 transmits the charge signal CS that turns offthe charging switch 1010 to the charging switch 1010 when the voltage ofthe electrical energy provided from the thermoelectric generationportion 600 is lower than the threshold voltage to stop charging of thestorage portion 1000. In this case, the voltage detector 540 generates aselection signal Slct and transmits the selection voltage Slct to theswitch portion 530 for supplying of the panel power voltage VCC to thefirst power converter 510 and the second power converter 520 to therebygenerate the first driving voltage VT and the second driving voltage VDby using the panel power voltage VCC.

Although it has been exemplarily described that the voltage detector 540is included in the power supply 500, the voltage detector 540 may beprovided separately from the power supply 500.

Except for such a difference, features described with reference to FIG.1 through FIG. 11 can be applied to the embodiment described withreference to FIG. 14, and therefore to avoid redundancy, a descriptionof these features will be omitted.

As described above, when heat is generated by a heat generation portionsuch as the signal controller 100, the data driver 300, the backlightunit 400, the power supply 500, and the like according to driving of thedisplay device 10, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 generateselectrical energy in the form of an auxiliary power voltage foroperation of the signal controller 100 and the data driver 300 anddecreases a temperature of the heat generation portion. The displaydevice may be partially or even fully powered because of the generatedheat being supplied to the thermoelectric may provide an auxiliaryvoltage. When the temperature of the heat generation portion isdecreased, the display device 10 is driven by using the panel powervoltage VCC, and when the temperature of the heat generation portion isincreased, the thermoelectric generation portion 600 generateselectrical energy again such that the heat generated by the displaydevice 10 can be used to provide self-power for some of the components.

Although the at least one embodiment of the inventive concept disclosesthat the device is powered by the external source VCC and may also bepowered via an internally created source VCC′ based on a thermoelectricgeneration of electricity based on heat released by one or morecomponents of the display device 10, it also possible for partiallypowering the display device by both the voltage from the heat released,and by the external source VCC. In such a case, the amount of power fromthe external source would be reduced.

In addition, it is within the inventive concept that certain componentsmay be powered by the thermoelectric generation, and with an increase inthe amount of energy due to an increase in heat being generated,additional components could be powered.

It is also within the inventive concept that a device could be primarilyoperated via a battery, and the radiation of heat from components thatis used to generate energy could serve to be a battery charger. Thebattery charger that operates in this manner could also be supplementedwith other chargers (such as a wall-plug charger) and/or a solar cell.

While the inventive concept has been described in connection with whatis presently considered to be practical example embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the inventive concept is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. Therefore, it will be appreciated by aperson of ordinary skilled in the art that various modifications may bemade and other equivalent embodiments are available. Therefore, a truetechnical scope of the inventive concept will be defined by thetechnical spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a display panelincluding a plurality of pixels; a data driver that applies a datasignal to data lines connected to the plurality of pixels; a signalcontroller configured to transmit an image data signal for generation ofthe data signal to the data driver; a power supply configured togenerate a first driving voltage and supply the first driving voltage tothe signal controller as a first power voltage for operation of thesignal controller; a thermoelectric generation circuit configured togenerate electrical energy from heat generated by at least one of thesignal controller, the power supply, and the data driver; and aconverter configured to convert the electrical energy to a firstauxiliary driving voltage and supply the first auxiliary driving voltageto the signal controller as a second power voltage for operation of thesignal controller.
 2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the powersupply generates a second driving voltage and supplies the seconddriving voltage to the signal controller as a third power voltage foroperation of the signal controller, and the converter converts theelectrical energy to a second auxiliary driving voltage and supplies thesecond auxiliary driving voltage to the signal controller as a fourthpower voltage for operation of the signal controller.
 3. The displaydevice of claim 2, wherein the first auxiliary driving voltage has avoltage level that is about the same as the first driving voltagegenerated by the power supply, and the second auxiliary driving voltagehas a voltage level that is about the same as the second driving voltagegenerated by the power supply.
 4. The display device of claim 2, whereinthe power supply supplies the second driving voltage to the data driver,and the converter supplies the second auxiliary driving voltage to thedata driver.
 5. The display device of claim 2, wherein the convertercircuit converts the electrical energy to the first auxiliary drivingvoltage and the second auxiliary driving voltage by reducing a voltageof the electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric generationcircuit.
 6. The display device of claim 2, wherein the electrical energycomprises a first electrical energy and a second electrical energy, andthe converter comprises: a first converter that converts the firstelectrical energy and outputs the first auxiliary driving voltage; and asecond converter that converts the second electrical energy and outputsthe second auxiliary driving voltage, wherein the first converter andthe second converter are step-down converters that reduce a voltage ofthe first electrical energy and the second electrical energy generatedby the thermoelectric generation circuit to a particular voltage value.7. The display device of claim 1, further comprising: a printed circuitboard on which the signal controller, the signal controller, and thepower supply are disposed; and a flexible printed circuit boardconnected between the display panel and the printed circuit board, andwhere the data driver is disposed.
 8. The display device of claim 7,further comprising a heat dissipation substrate that is disposed at arear side of the display panel, wherein the thermoelectric generationcircuit is disposed between the printed circuit board and the heatdissipation substrate.
 9. The display device of claim 8, wherein thethermoelectric generation circuit comprises a high-temperature portionthat contacts the printed circuit board and a low-temperature portionthat contacts the heat dissipation substrate.
 10. The display device ofclaim 9, wherein the thermoelectric generation circuit overlaps at leastone of the signal controller and the power supply.
 11. The displaydevice of claim 9, wherein the high-temperature portion of thethermoelectric generation circuit overlaps a plurality of clock wires,and the low-temperature portion overlaps a common voltage wire adjacentthe plurality of clock wires.
 12. The display device of claim 7, furthercomprising a backlight unit that emits light toward the display panel,wherein the thermoelectric generation circuit generates the electricalenergy from heat generated by the backlight unit.
 13. The display deviceof claim 12, wherein the backlight unit comprises a light source portionthat is arranged to partially overlap the printed circuit board, and thethermoelectric generation circuit comprises a high-temperature portionthat overlaps the light source portion and a low-temperature portionthat does not overlap the light source portion.
 14. The display deviceof claim 13, wherein the low-temperature portion of the thermoelectricgeneration circuit is disposed on the printed circuit board.
 15. Thedisplay device of claim 7, wherein the thermoelectric generation circuitis disposed on the printed circuit board, and comprises ahigh-temperature portion that is disposed adjacent to at least one ofthe signal controller and the power supply and a low-temperature portionthat is disposed in a portion having a relatively low temperature in theprinted circuit board.
 16. The display device of claim 1, furthercomprising: a gate driver configured to apply a gate signal to gatelines connected to the plurality of pixels; a plurality of clock wiresconnected to the gate driver; and common voltage wires transmitting areference voltage to the plurality of pixels, wherein the thermoelectricgeneration circuit overlaps the plurality of clock wires and the commonvoltage wires.
 17. The display device of claim 16, wherein thethermoelectric generation circuit is disposed on a display panel wherethe plurality of pixels, the plurality of clock wires, and the commonvoltage wires are disposed.
 18. The display device of claim 16, whereinthe thermoelectric generation circuit comprises a high-temperatureportion that overlaps the plurality of clock wires and a low-temperatureportion that overlaps the common voltage wires.
 19. The display deviceof claim 1, further comprising a storage circuit storing electricalenergy generated by the thermoelectric generation circuit, wherein thestorage circuit discharges the stored electrical energy to the convertercircuit.
 20. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a voltagedetector circuit that detects whether a voltage of the electrical energygenerated by the thermoelectric generation circuit exceeds a thresholdvoltage, and transmits an enable signal that operates the convertercircuit when the voltage of the electrical energy exceeds the thresholdvoltage.